iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max pre-orders are about to go live: Everything you need to know

I hope that you're wide-eyed, bushy-tailed, and thoroughly caffeinated, because pre-orders for Apple's new iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and Apple Watch Series 4 are about to go live. Because Apple enjoys messing with people's sleep schedules, the pre-orders will open at exactly 3:00AM ET/12:00AM PT today, September 14th. Given how things have gone in the past, we expect stock to remain available for a matter of minutes, so you're going to have to work fast.

Yes, that means that you're going to have to get up in the middle of the night (or just stay awake staring at pictures of the new gold color for several hours), but it sure beats waiting in like for 24 hours like a sucker. We're expecting stock to last for minutes, at the most, so you'll need to work fast.Traditionally, the fastest and easiest way to get a phone (from Apple at least) is through the iOS Apple Store app. You've still got a few minutes until pre-orders open, so take the time to make sure the app is updated, you're logged in with your Apple ID, and all your shipping and payment information is up to date.There's also the option of going through Apple's own website. In the past, it's taken a few minutes to load and crashed under the number of people trying to log in, but it's probably worth trying both at the same time if you're determined.Pre-orders are also available through the wireless carriers, which is often the easiest way to get a phone if stock is more limited on Apple's website or app. You can preorder the iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max using installment plans on any one of the four major US wireless carriers, namely Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint. Whichever way you decide to go, make sure you re-enter your credit card and shipping info long before preorders go live to be safe. Also, memorize the security code on your credit card in case you need to enter it again during the preorder process.Here are the links to the carrier pre-order pages:Verizon.com iPhone X preorder page AT&T.com iPhone X preorder page T-Mobile.com iPhone X preorder page Sprint.com iPhone X preorder page We have information on all the installment pricing in a separate post here, and the regular prices of all the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max models are below: